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Desoto, TX Trying to Ban the Pitt Bull

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Real Estate Agent with Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com 0480809

 Desoto, TX is just south west of the center of Dallas.  They are trying to ban Bit Bulls in their city.  Richardson, where I live, passed an ordinance to ban Pit Bulls back in 1987, but it was struck down by an appeal just a couple of years later.  The ban would include several breeds including the popular American Pitt Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

 

Instead of just banning the animals, the mayor has asked for a meeting with the residence to voice their opinions of what types of dogs they do and don’t like.  I can see this opening a huge can of worms.  Of course, all the people with pitt bulls are going to say they don’t cause any problems and then the people without pitt bulls are going to say they do cause problems.  I understand trying to be democratic about it, but I don’t know how that’s going to solve a problem. 

 

It was also suggested that they ban all dogs over 50 pounds… doesn’t that include most, if not all, labs?  I recall hearing on one of the dog show competitions that the Lab is the most common pet across the country.  I, personally, have a lab, blue heal mix, and he weighs 65 pounds…most labs wouldn’t hurt a fly.  They just want you to play catch with them and they’re happy.  I can’t imagine an entire city banning such a dog. 

 

Other areas that have successfully banned the Pitt Bull are Denver, Miami, and Cincinnati.  The ban didn’t stick in Richardson because of Texas’ Health and Safety Code which allows Cities the right to regulate the handling of vicious and dangerous dogs, but doesn’t allow the cities to ban a specific dog breed.

 

What do others think about the Pitt Bull and other dogs that are bread “mean”?

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Tricia Jumonville
Bradfield Properties - Georgetown, TX
Texas REALTOR , Agent With Horse Sense

Dobermans used to be the dog of choice for the "mean" designation.  When I was in college, I knew a young man who bought a perfectly trained Doberman named Max.  He bought him for a pittance because Max's former owners, who had a two-year-old, decided that he was a "killer" because they let their child do anything he wanted to Max - and Max went a long with it. Then, once, the child stuck his little finger all the way down inside Max's ear, and Max let out a little growl.  That's all that was needed for them to sell him as a "mean" dog.  (Personally, I think I would have done a lot more to the kid than growl!) 

Max turned out to be a sweetheart.  He did sound like he was going to eat you alive when you walked up to his fence - but if you said, "Hi, Max!" he turned into a wriggle puppy.  Sweet, sweet dog, as have all of the Dobermans that I've known personally. 

Then it was Rotweillers.  Same thing - the ones I've known have been really nice, friendly dogs. 

The real problem with certain breeds is that they get a reputation for being mean, then the kind of people who want mean dogs get them and mistreat them and make them mean.  What should really be done is the people who do these things to the dogs in order to justify some sort of macho image they have of themselves (but no woman with any experience at all buys for a second) should be banned. 

We have a young ACD, Donna.  He's more likely to hurt me, with his 7-month-old bounce all over the place grinning ways, than Max would have been, or than several pit bulls I know of would.  He'll get over it - and I do my best to utilize that energy! - but it's interesting right now! 

I'm frankly more concerned about the little mop-dogs that weight less than 15 lbs but are more likely to bite you than I am about the big guys.  I've had a toy Pekinese, so I know not all small dogs are like that, but the proportion of them that bite seems to be higher than in the larger dogs, in my experience. Perhaps they should look into banning dogs less than 15 lbs and larger than 50 lbs?  

My biggest problem, as an agent, with dogs in general is getting rid of the dog odor.  If I'm going to show a house that has pets, I always ask, when I make the appointment, for the dog(s) name(s) - makes a big difference when we go in if the dogs are on the property. 

 

Nov 03, 2006 04:56 AM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

I think it's funny that everyone is concerned about the extinction of the flamingo, but no one is commenting about the possible extinction of the "real" pit bull.

Tricia, thank you for your very well thought out and written response.

Nov 03, 2006 08:42 AM
Tricia Jumonville
Bradfield Properties - Georgetown, TX
Texas REALTOR , Agent With Horse Sense

Hey, I'm worried about the flamingos, too!  There's a plant nursery here in Austin that some of the high-toned neighbors tried to shut down because of the flamingos it sold.  They went to court, lost soundly in the courts and in the court of public opinion (this is, after all, Austin, and we are nothing if not about keeping Austin weird!), and the nursery has regularly put out enormous flocks of flamingos in season.  It's an Austin tradition, and you can buy some of the strangest flamingos there! 

Seems that some people, if they don't care for something, want to ban it for everyone instead of just not having it for themselves.  And some other people want to turn perfectly nice animals (various breeds of dogs) into some sort of compensation for something they, themselves, don't have, and other people want to blame it on the dogs instead of the people involved.  Very confusing. 

 

Nov 03, 2006 10:47 AM
Anonymous
dingly doo
I hate toy dogs, ban them under 15 pounds.  They bite alot
Jun 28, 2007 09:45 AM
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Donna Harris

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This blog is to help educate Buyers, Sellers and even other Realtors across the country.  Each market is different and the way Real Estate is done is different.  Austin Real Estate is completely different than Dallas, California and Florida and everywhere else in between.  Some times there will be other things besides real estate as I like to rant and rave as much as the next!!  Come back often!